Appetite 4 Life - Camilla's Blog

Chutney!

Now into my third year here in Tuscany, it finally hit me - apple season here is much later than further north. Which makes January the perfect time to pick up cheap apples for sauce and pickling at the market!

As we often look for some kind of condiment to go well with chicken or even barbequed meat, I thought I'd try my hand at a chutney.

I often combine recipes, and add my own two cents to them, based upon my experience, my taste buds, and quite often simply what I have at home - so here's my chutney with apple, tomato, carrots and red onion.

 

Ingredients for 2 smaller jars:

3 crisp apples
3 big tomatoes (the beefy kind)
2 carrots
1/2 onion (yellow or red recommended)
1/3 - 1/2 fresh chili OR 1 tsp chili paste (e.g.sambal oelek)
1 1/2 dl (1 cup) apple cider vinegar 
3/4 dl (1/2 cup) sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp canola oil 

Preparation:
Dip the tomatoes in boiling water to loosen the skin, making it easy to peel and chop them. Peel and cube the apples, the carrots and chop the onion. If you are using fresh chili, cut into tiny pieces for a blending of flavor. You know your limits best. 

Fry the chili in a little canola oil to let out the flavors, add the fruit and vegetables and stir to blend. Add the vinegar and let it all cook under lid till soft, about 20-30 minutes. Note carrot pieces will remain a bit chewy, if you want to avoid that: shred them instead of chopping.

Now add the sugar, the salt (max 1 tsp), and any pepper (black, allspice) you might like to taste. You can also add some curry or similar. I actually had tikka masala spice mix, which I added for a bit of flavor. Bring back to boil, this time stir regularly and leave the lid off for another 20 or so minutes. The objective here is to reduce and thicken the juices, and get the right chutney consistency. 

Scoop up the beautiful chutney straight from the pan into hot, sterilized glass containers and close immediately. Let cool and store in a cool place. 

 

Easy Recipe: Red and Golden Beets with Feta on Arugula

A festive version of a cold vegetarian salad suitable as a side dish for the holiday dinners, but also as a lighter lunch or dinner on its own anytime during the colder season, perhaps with some lovely warm and crunchy bread? The recipe below serves at least 6 people as a side dish. See the bottom of the recipe for a nice warm version with goat cheese and toasted pine- or walnuts...

Ingredients
6 fresh beets - preferably both red and golden
8 oz (225 g) Greek feta cheese
4 oz (125 g) fresh arugula leaves
rind of 1 lemon

Dressing
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
2/3 cup canola oil, or really good mellow extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste 

Preparation
Wash and trim the fresh beets, boil them in slightly salted water until soft they are soft when you prick them with a fork. This usually takes an hour or so, so be patient and use a lid and low heat.

Mix all the salad ingredients together. I usually end up adding a little bit of this or that to get it just right in my mouth, so don't feel like you have to be religious with the proportions here. Seasoned rice wine vinegar will give more flavor, but of course more calories/sugar too...

When the beets are done, pour out the water and when your hands can handle the heat, peel the beets. The warmer they are, the easier they are to peel. I use rubber gloves for this, as the red juice really stains. Cut them into cubes or slice them if you prefer.

This bizarrely is a cultural thing, I discovered at Thanksgiving in the US: they are prettier sliced, but easier to eat without a knife if cubed into bite-sizes. But if you're in Europe - slice them! Pour some seasoned rice wine vinegar or some of the dressing itself over them before chilling them in the fridge. I recommend keeping the golden beets separated from the red ones, to keep their pretty color.

Up to this point, you can easily prepare the day before. And if you want to, you can of course just use vacuum-packed ready-boiled beets, but please avoid the already seasoned kind in the jars. 

As the table is being set, place the arugula in a shallow dish, add the beets in a pretty pattern, and sprinkle or chop the feta cheese on top. Pour over the remaining salad dressing, grate over the rind of a lemon and some freshly ground black pepper, and voila'. 

A nice variation on this salad is to use the beets warm, just putting them in an oven-safe dish together with the dressing, sprinkle over some goat cheese, toasted pine- or walnuts, lemon rind and pepper and grill in the top part of a hot oven until the cheese starts melting and turn color. Serve the arugula on the side, or dish up the beets on it just as you are ready to eat. Yum this way too!